Cowboys go for league title, undefeated regular season in home game with Paonia Saturday
The Cowboys host the Paonia Eagles in the final regular season game on Saturday. The ’Pokes could wrap up an undefeated regular season and receive the No. 1 seed in the league district tournament, barring a loss Saturday.
Last week, Meeker defeated Plateau Valley in Collbran in a non-league game Thursday 64-32, and easily handled Rangely in the Rio Blanco County championship game 77-39.
Thursday in Collbran, the Cowboys put the game away early. As in the past games, Meeker used its size advantage to gain a first-half lead of 28-8. Tyrel Gerloff led the way in the first-half scoring with 10 points. Colton Brown and Dakota Rowlett combined with Gerloff for 18 of Meeker’s 28 points. Meanwhile, Meeker’s stingy defense didn’t let Plateau Valley score a field goal in the first period and only three 2-pointers in the second stanza. In the third period, Rowlett took over, scoring 14 of his game-high 20 points as Meeker coasted to a comfortable 53-16 lead. The Cowboy bench was able to finish out the game.
Saturday in Rangely was a rematch from a game in the Cowboy Shootout in December. However, the outcome remained the same as the Panthers couldn’t match up with the Cowboys. Meeker’s “bigs” — Gerloff, Rowlett, and Brown — again controlled the offensive output for the ’Pokes as they counted for 23 of Meeker’s 38 first-half points. Meeker’s defense had a the task of containing one of the state’s top scorers in the Panthers’ Patrick Phelan. The Cowboys’ defense only allowed Phelan one free throw in the first half and two more in the second for a game total of three points. Meanwhile, Rowlett and Gerloff were scoring at will against the Panthers. Meeker had a comfortable lead at the end of the third 53-30. The Cowboys finished off the Panthers with a 24-9 final-period scoring frenzy as Rowlett scored 12 of his game-high 26, while Gerloff finished with 16 to aid the cause. Rangely was led by Mark Perzinski, who totaled 14 for the Panthers and Adam Dahl, who chipped in 11.
This week, the Cowboys will have only one game and that will be Saturday at the MHS gym against Paonia. Tipoff is scheduled for 4 p.m.
